It is hard to believe that the New York Mets have a dilemma at first base.

For over half a decade, the Mets had an established first baseman in Pete Alonso, who not only played every day but also became the franchise's home run leader. But after letting Alonso leave in free agency to ink a five-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles last offseason, the first base position for New York is in shambles.

The Jorge Polanco experiment at first base failed miserably last season, which led to the Mets going through a rotating cast of players all season long. Now, in what is a crucial offseason for David Stearns and company, addressing first base is expected to be one of the top priorities.

With first base an area of need for the Amazins, could this player, who has ties to newly hired Derek Falvey, be a potential platoon option at the position?

Why Royce Lewis could solve the Mets' dilemma at first base

While it hasn't been confirmed publicly, Minnesota Twins infielder Royce Lewis could be on the move. The former first-round pick has dealt with numerous injuries during his tenure in Minnesota and is reportedly one of the reasons why his time with the ballclub could be coming to an end. Despite those injury concerns, this could be a good fit for the Mets.

During his five years in the big leagues, Lewis has slashed .246/.302/.429 with 61 home runs, 213 RBIs and an OPS of .731 in 683 career games. Despite his injury concerns, the 27-year-old is coming off a career-high 125 games played this past season for the Twins and, more importantly, brings his experience as a utility player.

Lewis quietly looks like the perfect player the Mets may be looking for this offseason, having mainly played both first base and third base throughout his career. As already noted, Falvey spent the previous 10 years in the Twins' front office as executive vice president and chief baseball officer, as well as president of baseball operations. Falvey also drafted Lewis first overall in the 2016 draft.

Where he could fit in the Mets' lineup

If the Mets were to acquire Lewis this winter, he could be a great platoon option at first base with, for example, Jared Young, whom you would consider to be on the roster in 2027. It may not be an exciting tandem at the position, but one that could certainly fly under the radar.

Lewis also brings solid numbers as a right-handed batter against left-handed pitching, which was a problem for the Mets lineup for most of last season. Lewis slashed .252 with five home runs against lefties last season and struck out just 32 times. And while he slugged 10 homers against righties, he batted only .216 and struck out 98 times against right-handed pitching.

It also certainly won't take much to acquire Lewis, considering his overall disappointing tenure with the Twins, as well as the club trying to retool its fairly young roster.

If the Mets want to pull off a sneaky move this offseason, acquiring a veteran like Royce Lewis could be a step in the right direction toward returning to playoff contention in 2027.